Rep. Jared Polis wins third term in 2nd Congressional District

Managed comfortable margins in Boulder, Larimer, Broomfield counties

Congressman Jared Polis cheers with State Rep. Jeanne Labuda after learning of his victory at a Democratic watch party Tuesday at the Sheraton Hotel in Denver.
(
JEREMY PAPASSO
)

U.S. Rep. Jared Polis, D-Boulder, will retain his 2nd Congressional District seat, as the two-term congressman bested his chief rival, Republican State Sen. Kevin Lundberg, by a comfortable margin tonight.

Across the 10 counties that fully or partially make up the district, Polis holds a 55 percent to 40 percent lead over Lundberg -- 173,132 votes to 127,530 votes. Green Party candidate Susan Hall has 2 percent of the vote while Libertarian candidate Randy Luallin has a 3 percent tally.

"It looks like the people have spoken and it looks like they've chosen results over ideology," Polis said shortly after watching election results from Larimer County come in. "Our message of opportunity and hope resonates with voters."

Kevin Lundberg

Lundberg, 60, conceded the race and thanked everyone who helped him in his campaign.

"I see an intense desire for sound limited government, but we weren't successful across the district, and therefore we didn't win," he said.

Lundberg, who lives in Berthoud, represented the state's 49th district in the Colorado House from 2003 to 2009 and is currently in the Colorado Senate, representing the state's 15th district.

The widest margin for 37-year-old Polis, a wealthy Internet entrepreneur from Boulder, is in Boulder County, where he's leading 75 percent to 21 percent over Lundberg. More than half of the anticipated ballots cast have been reported. In Larimer County, Polis is edging the Republican 48 percent to 47 percent with much of the vote having been tallied there.

Polis also leads the race in Broomfield County, 52 percent to 44 percent.

Polis was first elected to the 2nd Congressional District seat in 2008, easily beating Republican contender Scott Starin. He made national news for being one of the only openly gay candidates to ever be elected to the House as a freshman.

Polis was re-elected in 2010 in a lopsided victory over GOP candidate Stephen Bailey.

The race this year was seen as more of a challenge for the incumbent after redistricting two years ago pulled the district north through Larimer County to the Wyoming border. While still showing a Democratic advantage, the newly drawn district is much more even in terms of voter registration numbers than it previously was.

But Polis still managed a comfortable victory.

"Larimer County voters care about the same things Boulder County voters care about and the same things that Broomfield County voters care about," he said.

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